“The Lottery”

Charter schools, public schools that are free from many of the restrictions placed on traditional public schools, are growing rapidly. In just the last eight years, enrollment at charters has tripled (see chart below), while total public school enrollment has increased a modest five percent. Unlike traditional public schools, to which students are assigned automatically based on where they live, charters filled with students who choose to attend them. But, because charters must take any student who comes to them, charters are forced to allocate their seats through a lottery process. This process is the subject of an important new movie, “The Lottery,” by Madeleine Sackler.

If you live in a city or state with charter schools, I encourage you to attend a real, live lottery. Many are open to the public, and they are powerful displays of school choice in action. But, if you live in a city without charters, or you can’t find a lottery to attend, the movie “The Lottery” is an accurate portrayal of what these events  are like. The emotions I felt watching the film were the same I felt attending a lottery myself.

To read more about the movie, see Erin Dillon and my review of the film or find out where it’s playing in theaters near you.

Charter School Enrollment in the US

Tagged as: Charter Schools, The Lottery